A cappella preview concert debuted both established and new groups

Round-up of “who’s who” in a cappella this fall

The annual a cappella preview concert took place in the Kay Spiritual Life Center on Saturday, featuring On a Sensual Note, Pitches Be Trippin’, Dime a Dozen and Treble in Paradise. Members of each group also introduced TenLi Tunes, AU’s newest a cappella group.

When the a cappella group, On A Sensual Note, took the stage first with the Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker,” featuring junior Ben Rader and sophomore Bret O’Brien, the audience knew they were in for a vibrant night of performances.

Then they reminded the audience of their middle school dance days with a cover of Jesse McCartney’s “Beautiful Soul,” featuring junior Adam Majeski and O’Brien.

According to President Corey McAuliffe, senior, the group has a big year ahead of them: performing at Pitches Be Trippin’s “Aca-toberfest” on Oct. 26, singing the national anthem at volleyball games and appearing at Art All Night in Tenleytown on Sept. 14.

The group is holding auditions this Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Katzen.

“The biggest thing our group offers to our members is we’re a tight-knit family,” McAuliffe said. “I think that’s the thing that distinguishes us…All of my best friends are in OASN.”

Pitches Be Trippin’ continued the performances with “Lion” by Kacy Hill, with senior soloist Maya Krishnan. Following with Billie Eilish’s pop hit “Copycat,” featuring soloist Kelly McDonnell, the all-female group captivated the audience with an energetic and female-empowered performance.

Pitches Be Trippin’ will hold their auditions on Sept. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are looking for students with diverse voices and styles, said junior Alexis Mcmenamin, the music director.

“It’s really important to enhance uniqueness in the group and prioritize that,” she said. “But when we come together, it’s a cohesive unit.”

According to senior Emma McCloy, the group’s manager, Pitches Be Trippin’ focuses on indie, pop and R&B style music. They arrange all their own music and currently have eight members actively arranging pieces for their upcoming performances.

Dime A Dozen, AU’s premiere gender-inclusive a cappella group, opened with Ariana Grande’s smash hit, “No Tears Left to Cry,” featuring junior Tez Byrnes, president of the group. They followed up with a dynamic, audience-engaging rendition of “Cough Cough” by Everything Everything with junior soloist Sam Hickman.

Dime A Dozen is gearing up for a big year ahead, performing at Art All Night and other off-campus performances.

“We have a whole bunch of collaborations with other groups this year,” said junior recruiter Dakoury Godo-Solo.

The group will hold auditions on Sept. 15 from 12-5 p.m. in Katzen 151. According to Byrnes, new members can expect “a whole lot of fun” experimenting with different styles.

Godo-Solo emphasized the inclusivity of the group, especially during audition season.

“As a community, a cappella hasn’t always been the most inclusive to gender non-binary people,” he said. “[New members can] know there’s a space for them here.”

Taking the stage with their signature pink heels and all black attire, Treble in Paradise began their performance with a mashup of Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” featuring junior Isabella Lundquist, senior Josee Molavi, senior Emma Dion and junior Emma Kienzle.

The group followed up with “Love So Soft,” featuring Molavi, a rendition of the Kelly Clarkson hit that they performed at Founder’s Day Ball last year.

The group will hold auditions on Sept. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are looking for a variety of voices and styles.

“There’s no one specific type of Treb,” Molavi, the group’s music director said. “It’s the other way around—the group is defined by the different girls that are in the group and the members that bring something special and unique to our sound.”

Emma Kienzle, president of the group, said the group is looking to expand their presence on campus.

“We’re looking to have some bigger gigs happening, travel a little bit more,” Kienzle said. “We’ve been recording music lately…I’m excited to get some music videos out there.”

One member of each group took the stage once again, but not to sing. They introduced AU’s newest a cappella group — TenLi Tunes. The name is derived from the Hebrew words “ten” and “li,” giving the group a name that translates to “give me tunes.”

Sophomores Elliott Gold and Itai Segev are the founders of the group, and they will hold auditions on Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. According to Segev, the group is looking to incorporate students of all vocal parts who are passionate about music, regardless of religious affiliation.

“It’s not about just singing Jewish music,” Gold said. “It’s about having a community of people who are getting together…and experiencing something new together.”

AcaBellas n’ Fellas did not perform due to a semester hiatus.

Kelly McDonnell is the managing editor of life and had no influence over the reporting of this event.